Wanting to share without being a WLS evangelist....
I have read some other posts by others about wanting to share the "good news" about WLS to people that are where we used to be. My gorgeous sleeve sister, Hollyoosa, Ruggie, Elina and I think even Frisco have posted about wanting to approach people but not wanting to offend.
I recently considered buying a T-shirt that said, "I've lost weight....ask me how!" so that maybe some of those people would approach me. But then I realized that I'd get questions from people that I didn't want to "share" with. I don't have the stamina or the tolerance to deal with the ignorant or mis-informed or hear criticism for my choice so I decided against the shirt.
I read Elina's post about her SMO eye doctor and it made me want to cry. I see so many people that I KNOW could benefit from this surgery and maybe just don't KNOW about it. But how do you go up to someone and say "how would you like to get rid of 100 lbs of ugly fat?" After you picked yourself up and spit out half your teeth, you might get a few words in before the cops came to haul you off.
This is really bothering me. I am torn betwen being a walking VSG advertisment and keeping my mouth shut. I dont' want to preach to people that aren't ready to listen. I know all about willingness to change. I wrote an umpteen page paper about the stages of change for an independent study grad school course. The upshot of that snooze fest of a paper was that if a person aint ready, it aint gonna happen. I am the poster child for denial and can relate to people that are burying their head in the sand and know that someone earnestly singing the praises of WLS to me before I was ready would've seriously pissed me off. Would've been some serious eye rolling going on.
How do you "share the news"? Do you shout hallelujah and praise the VSG or just wait to be approached?
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...though she be but little, she is FIERCE...
A Midsummer Night's Dream
I don't think you can just approach people. I would love to approach my sister but she doesn't have health insurance that will cover the surgery and definitely doesn't have the ca$h so I just praise and encourage her when she is on the treadmill or something. Even BIg she is gorgeous and men stare at her. She needs to lose about 100lbs I would say.
Anyway, let yourself be the advertisement and then people will start asking you "What are you doing?"
honestly thought weight loss surgery was only being covered for the super obese, until I noticed these
nurses & talked to them and they told me about the comorbities factor. So, initially just seeing others
prompts people interested in researching WLS "IF" they want to help themselves. BTW, one of the
reasons I choose the sleeve instead of bypass is because I also noticed them slowly gaining the weight back!
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I understand about wanting to tell the whole world. What I've been telling people, who express any interest, is that surgery is not a magic bullet. I still have to make decisions about what I put in my mouth and how much I get off my ass.
What kills me is that this or some kind of surgery could have saved my brother in law's life. He died Nov 30 at age 47 of a sudden heart attack, after being SMO for many years. My sister found him in their living room when she got up to go to work at 4 AM. But he wouldn't consider it. He didn't really think he had a problem. Nor does my sister, at over 300 lbs. And their daughter is 11 years old and weighs 225 pounds. I hope something clicks for her. I don't talk till I think people want to hear, because anything I say they don't want to hear will just go in one ear and out the other.
As you continue to be dedicated to the process and just being the new healthier you, it will lend itself to you telling people about the surgery.